BLHA – Autumn Event 2026
BHLA Annual Conference: ‘Luton’s Heritage: Made and Shaped’ – Saturday 6th June 2026
BLHA Annual Conference 2026 Report by Des Hoar
BALH Regional Conference: Crossing Counties – Saturday 11th October 2025
This year our Autumn Event will be a regional conference In partnership with the British Association for Local History and the Hertfordshire Association for Local History.
The theme will be transport with the title Crossing Counties – Transport in Herts, Beds and Bucks.
Join us in Bedfordshire this October for a one-day conference exploring coaching inns, canals, airships, archaeology and buses. A rich journey through local transport history hosted by BALH in partnership with Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire local history associations.
The event will be held on Saturday 11th October 2025 9:30am – 4:00pm at Barton-le-Clay Village Hall, Bedfordshire.
Details:
The conference will feature five presentations with refreshments and lunch included in the ticket price. The speakers and topics are:
- Julian Hunt – English Coaching Inns
- Dr Rudi Newman – On a ‘Wing’ and a Prayer: The British Imperial Airship Scheme 1924-30
- Fabian Hiscock – Iron and Gravel: Canal Transport in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire
- Lucy Lawrence – The Archaeology of HS2 in Buckinghamshire
- John Cartledge – One hundred years of buses in Borehamwood and Elstree
Julian Hunt worked in libraries in Birmingham, Oldham and Aylesbury and has written books on Lancashire cotton mills, Buckinghamshire market towns, and Worcestershire industrial towns.
Dr Rudi Newman is a PhD historian with a long-standing passion for transportation history. Author of several books including Travelling to Tragedy, an anthology of transport disasters based on many of these lecture topics, and a collector of period memorabilia associated with the Titanic and maritime history, he has presented numerous lectures and articles on transportation themes. Formerly the Honorary Secretary of the British Titanic Society, he has acted as advisor and been interviewed for the BBC and international radio, has featured in television documentaries on Channel 4 and across Europe, and has lectured at the National Archives, the National Railway Museum, Trinity College Cambridge, Hertford Archive, and other organisations.
Fabian Hiscock completed his MA by Research in History at the University of Hertfordshire in 2016, after careers in the Royal Navy and in industry. He has a long-standing interest in the history of waterways, and is also involved with the heritage education charity Rickmansworth Waterways Trust.
Lucy Lawrence is Archaeology Officer for Buckinghamshire Council, and alongside her colleagues oversees all planning related archaeological work within the county.
John Cartledge has lived in Borehamwood for more than 50 years, is a trustee of the town’s museum, and was formerly one of its county councillors. Until retirement, he was head of policy and research at London TravelWatch, the official consumer body championing the interests of London’s travelling public. A lifelong bus user, he has written and spoken about the evolution of bus services in his locality, as well as the history of Elstree & Borehamwood station, and recently authored an article in Herts Past and Present on the story of Aldenham Reservoir.
A small number of free tables are also available for organisations and societies, please contact outreach@balh.org.uk if interested.
Booking:
Bookings with lunch included close on Wednesday 24th September.
Bookings without lunch are open until Friday 10th October 12:00am
Rate:
£30.00 (Lunch included) Non-Member Rate (BALH Members £25.00)
£23.00 (Lunch not included) Non-Member Rate (BALH Members £18.00)
BALH Member? Please sign in to access the discounted member rate.
Further details and booking information can be found on the BALH website, follow button below:
Venue: Barton-le-clay Village Hall, Bedfordshire, MK45 4JY
BLHA – Spring Event – 2pm Thursday 24th April 2025
The BLHA Spring Event this year will be a visit to the Panacea Museum in Bedford.
We will meet for a 2pm start and be given a guided tour of the Panacea Museum. Following the tour we will meet in the tea room for tea coffee and cakes. Attendees will then be welcome to view the garden and highlights of the tour at their leisure.
This museum tells the story of the Panacea Society – a remarkable religious community formed in the early twentieth century. For 90 years, members of the society quietly lived, worked and worshipped God in their community. Although they took care to reveal little about themselves to outsiders, the society’s name became familiar to many people beyond Bedford through their national advertising campaign to open ‘Joanna Southcott’s Box’ a curious cultural icon of inter-war Britain.
This is likely to be a popular visit with numbers limited to 24 for the tour of the museum so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Date and time: Thursday 24th April, 2.00pm start, the museum closes at 5.00pm
Location: Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Road, Bedford MK40 3NX
Cost and booking: £5 per person.
Parking: Blue badge holders can park in front of Number 9, Newnham Road, or around the corner on Albany Road.
Bookings must be received no later than Thursday 17th April
Panacea Museum Leaflet : https://panaceamuseum.org/assets/gallery/Museum-leaflet-2024.pdf
BLHA Autumn Event
Turvey House and All Saints Church
Turvey, MK43 8EL and MK43 8EP
Friday 11th October 2024, 11.00 am Start
We are very fortunate to have the Autumn Event this year at Turvey, visiting Turvey House and All Saints Church.
Turvey House 11.00 am
In the morning we have a 45-minute guided tour of Turvey House which is a Grade I listed building, built in the 1790s but remodelled in the 1830’s. After the tour attendees are welcome to visit the gardens and view the outside of the house. There is ample parking on site.
Turvey House WebsiteLunch
Attendees will be able to make their own lunch arrangements in Turvey.
All Saints Church 2.30 pm
In the afternoon we meet again at All Saints Church. We will have a guided tour lasting an hour and a half which will include questions and a brief introduction to Turvey History Society with tea and cakes afterwards.
The church is living evidence of Turvey village life for over a thousand years. Visitors will be taken on a guided tour of the church through which the Saxon origins, the medieval developments and alterations in the 19th Century will be explored. Alongside this, we will be shown how the building reveals stories of village involvement in the national political life and cultural life of the country, as well as its central role in the lives of village people over the centuries, the oldest parts of which are Saxon.
All Saints Church WebsiteVisitors will also be able to see an exhibition in the church on the theme ‘Routes, Networks and Connections’ which has been developed by Turvey History Society to accompany two guided walks for Heritage Open Day 2024.
This is likely to be a popular visit with numbers limited for Turvey House so please book early to avoid disappointment. The booking form does allow for those wishing to attend just in the morning to Turvey House or just the afternoon to All Saints Church.
Date and time:
Friday 11th October, Turvey House 11.00 am start, All Saints 2.30 pm start.
Location:
Turvey House – MK43 8EL, parking available at Turvey house.
All Saints Church – MK43 8EP
Cost and booking:
Turvey House – £10 per person.
All Saints Church – Donations on the day would be very much appreciated! A card machine will be available on the day for those who find it easier than cash. Please make payments to Turvey History Society who will then make a donation from this to the church as they have been very supportive of the group.
Access:
All Saints – There are fairly shallow but uneven steps into the churchyard, then a very narrow uneven tarmac path bordering a wider and uneven cobbled path. There is a step into the church with a ramp provided. Inside the church there is a toilet with disabled provision (accessed via a step with a ramp provided).
BLHA 2024 AGM & Conference
Hosted by the Leighton Buzzard & District
Archaeological & Historical Society
Saturday 22nd June 2024
Ten stallholders have already booked for the Bedfordshire Local History Conference at Leighton Buzzard on June 22 – 9.00 am to 4 pm, the first time the annual event has been held in the town.
The conference which is in Cedars Upper School, Mentmore Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard LU7 2AE, features many aspects of the rich history of this ancient town not known by outsiders. For example, how many know Leighton Buzzard was the secret headquarters of UK’s WWII communications and radar for the UK, Europe and the Middle East? Bletchley Park was just an outstation.
Among the stallholders, Stuart Antrobus will be offering a service of confirming if the female ancestors of any local people were Land Girls in the Women’s Land Army in Bedfordshire during WW2 (providing you know their maiden surname).
There is ample parking and good public transport links. A sumptuous lunch is on order and there will be free coffee and tea throughout the day. Tickets are £25 with lunch £20 without.
Any questions or information requests, such as for paper forms and alternative payment methods can be sent to lbdahs@yahoo.com. The in box will be monitored and replies sent as soon as possible.
Tickets will be sent out electronically and exchanged on arrival at the conference for lanyards and name tags with the name of the society the person represents if appropriate. There will be different coloured lanyards for those who have opted not to have lunch.
The Programme is below:
Bedfordshire Local History Association Annual AGM and Conference
Cedars Upper School, Mentmore Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard LU7 2AE
Saturday, June 22, 2024, 9 am to 4 pm
Hosted by Leighton Buzzard and District Archaeological and Historical Society
High Points of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade Through the Ages
8.00 am Doors open. Parking for exhibitors and disabled at entrance. Ample general parking across the road. Tables and display boards available.
9.00 am Conference registrations open, welcome and coffee.
9.30 am Bedfordshire Local History Association A.G.M.
Talks begin:
10.00 am: Henry Finch Esq. of Linslade – Publican, Public Servant and Philanthropist. The story of Leighton’s Hunting Heyday before WWI – Kate Crooks
10.30 am Legacy of Industry: Chronicles of Mill Ownership in Leighton Buzzard (1743-1929) – Sarah Roe
11.00 am Questions and Answers
11.10 am COFFEE BREAK AND WALK AROUND STANDS
11.30 am Double Bill and wartime mystery – Q Central: Top Secret HQ of Britain’s War Effort and Radar Headquarters in WW2: Were the 7,000 evacuees part of the camouflage? How did the town cope? – Paul Brown and Delia Gleave.
12.30 pm Questions and Answers
12.40 pm LUNCH BREAK: EXHIBITIONS AND STANDS
2.10 pm The 15th century Market Cross and the poet’s grand daughter, Alice Chaucer, Lady of the Manor – Paul Brown
2.40 pm Key Note Speaker: Paul Tate – In Search of Old Linslade’s Holy Well and the Well’s historical context. This season’s latest Exciting Developments Locating a Lost Medieval Sacred Spring
3.40 pm Questions and Answers
3.50 pm Conclusion and thanks
4.00 pm Conference Close.
Paul Brown
LBDAHS
Awaiting Report
BLHA AGM 2024 Agenda, Minutes of AGM 2023, Chair and Treasurer Reports 2024
BLHA - AGM Agenda - Minutes 2025 - Reports 2026
BLHA – Spring Event, Stotfold Mill, Wednesday 24th April 2024
Awaiting report
Bedfordshire Local History Association
BLHA Autumn Event – Chester House Estate
Higham Road, Irchester NN29 7EZ
Wednesday 27th September 2023, 11.00 am Start
We are very fortunate to have a visit to the Chester House Estate tailored specifically to the BLHA.
- The morning begins at 11.00 am with an introductory talk about the Chester House Estate Restoration Project by Martin Lawrence, (General Manager at Chester House Estate and also the Head of Culture, Tourism and Heritage for North Northamptonshire Council)
- A guided tour of the archaeological dig led by Jack Pishhorn (General Manager). The dig is run by the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and the University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The general site has a rich heritage from Mesolithic flint scatters to 17th-century farm buildings with Roman evidence from the suburbs of the small Roman town of Irchester.
- Ben Donnelly Symes (Archive Creator) will give us a guided tour of the Archaeological Resource Centre. This is a state-of-the-art facility, which is the new archaeological archive repository for the whole of Northants.
Lunch is planned for 1.00 pm and can be taken in the Farmhouse Café, alternatively, bring a packed lunch for eating in the grounds and taking one of the walks. The afternoon you will be free to explore the site.
Parking for our group will be available close to the main building along with disabled parking via the Lime Avenue entrance. Walking no further than a couple of hundred yards from the main building will be necessary during the day. The dig site is not accessible to wheel chair users.
We do need to give Chester House an idea of numbers attending, and also those likely to want to eat in the Café. Please book a place on the visit using the booking link below.
Apart from the events laid on for the BLHA, the Estate has a Florist, Saxby’s Cider Shop, Canine Cottage (goods for four-legged friends), Gift Shop and Visitor Centre and Farm Shop.
The Chester House Estate website: https://chesterhouseestate.org/
We hope you will be able to join us in what is going to be a fascinating visit
BLHA Autumn Event 2026 Booking
Date and time – Wednesday 27th September. 11.00 am start. Lunch at 1.00 pm. The site closes at 4.00 pm.
Location – The Chester House Estate is situated just off the eastbound A45 between Wellingborough and Rushden. All attendees including Blue Badge holders should use the Lime Avenue, A45 Entrance. Please use postcode NN29 7EZ to find this entrance. https://chesterhouseestate.org/plan-your-visit/parking-information/
Cost and booking – There is no charge for the event. To secure a place, please book via the link and indicate whether you will likely use the Farmhouse Café for lunch. Also, if you would be willing to offer a lift to someone and share fuel cost or don’t have transport please indicate on the booking form.
Bookings must be received no later than Wednesday 20th September.
Awaiting report
BLHA 2023 AGM and Conference – Local History Societies’ Archives: An Overlooked Resource? 24th June
Presented by Potton History Society.
‘The material I discovered in the Potton History Society archive was the glue that held my research together. It was not available elsewhere.’
Awaiting Report
BLHA Spring Event 2023– Walking Tour of Woburn
Tour guide: Natasha Kikas, Archivist, Bedfordshire Archives Service
Awaiting Report
BLHA Autumn Event 2022 – Tempsford Museum and Archives – Friday 16th September
On Friday 16th September, the first BLHA Autumn event since 2019 was held and hosted by Tempsford Museum and Archives. The collection was begun by local historian Steve Cooney over 20 years ago and was initially housed in a shed at the bottom of his garden. Since 2013, the collection has been housed in the Tempsford Stuart Memorial Hall.
The evening began in the main hall with a very welcome drink of tea, coffee and homemade cakes provided by his cake makers. Steve gave us a warm welcome, introduced the museum and then gave a well-illustrated presentation on the history of Tempsford. Following questions, we were able to view the displays of many of the past residents of the village including those who fought in both wars. The museum has a small archive office packed with local material which Steve is happy to delve into to answer local history enquiries.
What was once the snooker room of the hall now housing the bulk of the collection. The range of the material is very impressive, which includes for example, a small fire engine, memorabilia related to Tempsford Airfield, village life and group photographs.
The evening was very well received by all of the 18 members attending with very positive comments. Tempsford Museum is a tribute to Steve’s hard work, both he and his committee should be congratulated on a well-presented local museum. For those interested in local history in the Tempsford area, I would strongly recommend a visit to the museum, either as a personal visit on one of the Sunday open afternoons or as a society visit to see how much can be achieved in a small village.
Clive Makin
Secretary, Bedfordshire Local History Association
BLHA – Tempsford Museum and Archives Report
BLHA 2022 AGM and Conference Report
Bedfordshire Local History Association AGM & Annual Conference 2022
Saturday 26th June 2022
Hosted by Bedfordshire Historical Record Society (BHRS)
at Priory Methodist Church in Bedford
BLHA AGM Conference 2022 Report
BLHA Spring Event – Local History in a Pandemic – Saturday 27th March 2 pm (Zoom Talk) Report by Dorothy Jamieson
BLHA Spring Event – Local History in a Pandemic – Saturday 27th March 2 pm (Zoom Talk)
With ongoing restriction related to the current pandemic, the BLHA is very pleased to be able to present the Spring 2021 Event on Saturday 27th March. Geoff Saunders (Archaeological Officer, Planning Services, Bedford Borough) and Matt Tuohy (Historic Environment Record Officer, Bedford Borough) will be the speakers and present a talk entitled ‘Local History in a Pandemic’.
The talk will cover the complications we have faced during the pandemic, how they have been overcome (or not!), with a focus on the recent work of the Bedford Borough Historic Environment Team over the past year. This work includes the recent large scale evaluations along the proposed route of the new A428 bypass in the east of the Borough along with numerous small and large scale investigations associated with various development proposals.
The talk will also cover the results of archaeological works reported on which we have reviewed over the past year.
Our HER Officer Matt Tuohy will provide updates on the Historic Environment Record and some of the more interesting recent enhancements he has made to it.
The event will take place via Zoom on Saturday 27th March at 2 pm. The talk will last for approximately 1 hour and there will be a questions and answers session to follow. If you would like to join us for what will be a fascinating talk, then please contact the BLHA Secretary to book your place and receive full details on how to join us.
Please provide your name and the name of the society to which you belong to: secretary@bedfordshire-lha.org.uk
Evaluation Trenches at the Black Cat Roundabout
LiDAR for the Deserted Medieval Settlement in Chellington
BLHA Autumn Event 2019 – The Walled Garden, Luton Hoo Estate
BLHA 2019 AGM and Conference Report
Bedfordshire Local History Association AGM & Annual Conference 2019
Saturday 22nd June 2019 at 10am
Hosted by Bedfordshire Gardens Trust
at Poplars Garden Centre, (Education Learning Zone), Toddington, Beds LU5 6HE
BLHA Annual Conference 2019 Report
BLHA Spring Event 2019
BLHA Spring Event 2019 – Bedfordshire Police Museum
BLHA Spring Workshop 2019 – GIS
Report by Des Hoar
BLHA Spring Event - Workshop on GIS
BLHA Autumn Event 2018
The Military Intelligence Museum, Chicksands, Bedfordshire
Tuesday, 25th September 2018
BLHA 2018 AGM and Conference Report
Bedfordshire Local History Association AGM & Annual Conference 2018
Saturday 2nd June 2018
Hosted by Clapham Historical Society
at Clapham Village Hall, 118 High Street, Clapham, Bedford MK41 6BS
BLHA Annual Conference 2018 Report
BLHA Spring Event 2018
BLHA Autumn Event 2017 – Sulgrave Manor
Saturday, 30 September 2017
Our Autumn Event was a visit to Sulgrave Manor in the afternoon of Saturday, 30 September, in south Northamptonshire, It is a Tudor and Georgian house built by the direct ancestors of George Washington, first President of the United States. Civil War, financial ruin and a shipwreck led Washington’s great-grandfather to seek a fresh start in the New World.
The visit included a guided tour of the gardens and the house, plus a cream tea.
BLHA 2017 AGM and Conference
Saturday, 24 June 2017
In association with the Bedford Architectural, Archaeological & Local History Society.
Report written by Stuart Antrobus of Bedfordshire Historical Records Society.
Read the full BLHA Conference 2017 report
BLHA Spring Event 2016 – Rippington Manor, Nr Sandy – Wednesday 11th May 2016 from 1pm
Guided tour of house and gardens with afternoon tea
BLHA 2016 AGM and Conference Event
Held on Saturday, 18 June 2016 Hosted by Sharnbrook Local History Group
‘OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR STORIES: RESEARCHING OUR LOCAL HERITAGE’ Keynote Speaker: PROFESSOR CARENZA LEWIS Professor of the Public Understanding of Research at Lincoln University and one of the original Time Team presenters
Report written by Edward Martin
Read the full BLHA AGM Conference 2016 report
BLHA Spring Event 2015 – A Visit to Eaton Socon
The village that used to be in Bedfordshire and now is in Cambridgeshire
Saturday 23rd May 2015 – A guided walking tour of the village followed by a talk and refreshments from 2.30pm.
BLHA Autumn 2015 Event – Monday 26th October 2015
A visit to The Church of St Peter de Merton with St Cuthbert, Bedford Monday 26th October 2015 from 2.30pm
BLHA 2015 AGM and Summer Event
Saturday, 13 June 2015 at Clapham Village Hall
In association with the Clapham History Society
Report written by Stuart Antrobus of Bedfordshire Historical Records Society.
Read the full BLHA Conference 2015 report
BLHA Autumn 2014 Event: visit to the English Heritage Artefacts Store at Wrest Park, Silsoe.
The BLHA Autumn Event to the English Heritage Artefacts Store at Wrest Park, Silsoe at 11.00 am on Tuesday 23rd September 2014.
BLHA 2014 AGM and Summer Event
Saturday, 14 June 2014 at Maulden Village Hall
In association with the Maulden History Society
Read the full report which first appeared on the BHRS website blogspot dated 23rd June written by Stuart Antrobus.
BLHA 2013 AGM and Summer Event
Saturday, 15 June 2013 at Maulden Village Hall
In association with the Millbrook History Society
Read the full report which first appeared on the BHRS website blogspot dated 17th June written by Stuart Antrobus.
BLHA Autumn Event 20th October 2012
Maps for the Local Historian – Presented by Stephen Coleman, Historic Environment Information Officer, Central Beds Council. Read the full report.
BLHA 2012 AGM and Conference
Saturday, 9 June 2012 at The Poplars Garden Centre Learning Zone in Toddington
Hosted by the Ampthill & District Archaeological & Local History Society (ADALHS)
Read the full report